Public meeting called over child sex offenders living in Otahuhu community near schools

A facility housing convicted sex offenders overlooked a playground at Laurie Hall Park in central Whangarei. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A concerned South Auckland community is holding a meeting after reports that up to 16 high-risk offenders are living on their streets.

The Otahuhu Safety Panel and community leaders have organised a public meeting on March 15 to air concerns people may be having.

TVNZ reported that 16 sex offenders were living on one stretch of road in the area.

The Department of Corrections disputed this figure and said 11 people with convictions for child sex offences were living on the one street.

They resided at two separate addresses, at properties that had been used to house offenders for a number of years, said Corrections Northern Regional commissioner Jeanette Burns.

Otahuhu town manager and member of the safety panel Richette Rodger was organising the meeting so concerned community members could get together, ask questions and air their worries. The safety panel would then take their feedback and decide on how to proceed.

"We're hoping to get answers to questions about transparency and communication. We don't know who to ask at this stage, presumably it is Corrections and they should be communicating with us.

"We'll definitely be asking who is meant to let us know and who is responsible for that line of communication because that line of communication is completely broken."

Schools were shocked to know that the offenders were living in close proximity to children.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust called this a "major safety issue" and renewed calls for purpose built housing for offenders to keep the public safe as well as a publicly available sex offender register.

"The reality is every prisoner in this country will at some stage come to the end of their prison sentence which means they must be released, and there is nothing we or anyone else can do about that under our current system, as it stands" said SST spokesman Scott Guthrie.

"This [a public sex offender register] would enable the public of New Zealand to know who is living close to them, allowing them to better protect their families."

In December last year four men convicted of child sex offences were moved from a Whangarei house close to childcare centres and a popular inner-city park.

The Dent St facility is within a few hundred metres of three childcare centres, a children's playground and a community hall used by various community and youth groups.

In a statement, Department of Corrections national commissioner Rachel Leota said reintegrating and housing these offenders could be very challenging and the safety of communities was paramount. Upon learning of the situation she instructed local managers to find alternative accommodation.

The community meeting will be held March 15 at 6.30pm in the Otahuhu Town Hall. There will be Tongan and Samoan translators available.